{% include "includes/auth/janrain/signIn_traditional.html" with message='It looks like you are already verified. If you still have trouble signing in, you probably need a new confirmation link email.' %}

Pouncey is one of more than a dozen Dolphins players named by coaches to the team’s leadership council, which coach Joe Philbin uses in place of team captains.

The council drew criticism last year because it included guard Richie Incognito, who was cited in a NFL investigation as the the ring leader of a locker room bullying scandal and had previously been investigated for molesting a woman with a golf club at a team charity golf tournament.

Philbin on Wednesday wouldn’t say who’s on the leadership council. But Pouncey told the Palm Beach Post that he made it. Receiver Mike Wallace said one or two veteran players from each position group was selected. Last year players voted for leadership group, but this year the coaches made the call.

Pouncey was also cited in the NFL bullying investigation. In addition, he was subpoenaed last year in Massachusetts to testify in the Aaron Hernandez case and was photographed wearing a “Free Hernandez” hat in support of his former UF teammate, who is on trial for murder.

Pouncey is currently being sued for his alleged involvement in a South Beach club fight although police have not filed charges.

But through it all coaches and team management have remained supportive of Pouncey, who is out early in the season with a hip injury and is up for a contract extension after the season.

“We have a different group,” Philbin said of this year’s leadership council. “It’s not something we are necessarily going to reveal to everybody. Different members are on it this year, but we’ve been communicating regularly throughout the offseason, through training camp, the preseason, and we’ll continue to do so.”

Wallace said the Dolphins team is full of leaders despite last year’s scandal, which many players feel was overblown.

“I feel like we still have leadership on our team,” he said. “That can happen on any team. We have leadership, we just have to put more of an emphasis on it this year.”

Pouncey said it’s a new feeling being a veteran leader on the team because “I still feel like a young guy.”

Wallace said “it’s cool.”

“We get to have a say on pretty much everything going on with the team,” Wallace said. “That’s a big step coming from last year. Coaches kind of just made this and we just rolled with it. It’s not like we have a say on the schedule but we have some type of input on certain situations, some of the things in our schedule like preparation time.”

Brady praises Dolphins D: The Patriots are great at praising their upcoming opponent and the season opener is no exception.

Quarterback Tom Brady had high praise for Miami in today’s conference call with South Florida media.

“The Dolphins are one of the best defenses we faced all year and that’s kind of what we expect this year,” Brady said.

“They’ve got a great defensive front, great linebackers that are experienced and a secondary that is one of the best they’ve ever had.

“The Dolphins are going to give us everything we can handle.”

Thigpen signs with Pats: New England claimed former Miami safety Don Jones earlier this week, just in time for their Week 1 game against the Dolphins.

Now the Pats are adding former Dolphins returner Marcus Thigpen to their practice squad.

When asked if signing a player fresh off the next opponent’s roster can help a team game plan, Philbin said “it depends who the player is.”

“What you might think, think, what type of knowledge he might have, what type of things he might be able to communicate to you — it all depends,” Philbin said. “It’s varied over the years.”

Brady said he hasn’t spoken to Thigpen yet.

When asked if New England is trying to get info out of Thigpen, Brady said “I don’t know if those things happen.”

Tannehill asked about Matt Moore deep ball: Here’s a question Tannehill probably didn’t expect today: A reporter asked him why he has struggled so much on the deep ball when backup quarterback Matt Moore’s deep ball looks so natural.

“I don’t know,” Tannehill said. “(Matt) made a nice throw and (the receiver) made a nice catch. I feel great. We had two deep balls I think to Mike (Wallace) today in practice, hit one yesterday on a double move deep in practice, so I feel great about our chemistry on the deep ball right now. I am really trusting him, laying it out there, letting him use his speed to run out there and get it.”

Tannehill was also asked if he expects to make strides similar to Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles last year. Bill Lazor, Miami’s new offensive coordinator, was the Eagles quarterbacks coach last year.

“I respect what Nick did and the year that he had last year. He had a great year,” Tannehill said. “This is not the same system. I am not Nick Foles. I have to make my own steps with this team. I am excited about the progress I can make this year, but it has nothing to do with that.”

Just don’t ask Dolphins middle linebacker Koa Misi. The moment Gronkowski’s name was brought up, he was coy.

“Whatever defense our coach calls is what we’re going to play, Misi said, purposely revealing not a shred of information.

What was the key to last year’s success against him?

“You’re trying to get to me, some information,” Misi replied.

Would twisting both arms work?

“Maybe my rookie year, you would have gotten to me,” Misi said.

What Misi won’t say, the numbers will: It has been three years since Gronkowski gashed Miami’s defense. He caught 13 passes in two games against the Dolphins in 2011 but has been limited to only one game vs.

Miami each of the past two seasons and a total of four receptions for 69 yards and one garbage-time touchdown in a New England romp.

Sunday will mark Misi’s first regular-season game as the starting middle linebacker after he played on the outside last season.

“It’s been good,” he said of the transition. “I started off kind of slow. It was kind of hard getting used to all the reads and things, inside. It’s just growing on me. Just learning. Basically learn at much as I could from coach Duffner (Mark Duffner, the linebackers coach), a great coach, definitely knows what he’s talking about. He taught me a lot. Everything I could learn from him is where I’m at today.”

Misi now calls defensive signals, forcing him to be more vocal than he naturally is.

“I was a little slow at first, just because I’ve never looked at the whole picture, called out the formation, everything else,” he said. “It took me a little bit to get used to, but that comes second nature now.”

View Comments
1

Of course Billecheat will try to get info out of Thigpen, but Thigpen really knows nothing to give him but the basics. The same thing that he already has on film from our preseason. Just like Wallace said; they only used about 15 percent of the offense in preseason, and the regular season playbook was not handed out until after all cuts were made. Thigpen never even saw that playbook. The Patriots do this every year, I think it's mostly just to take our players so that we can not bring them back when someone goes down or doesn't perform well. #fearthefin